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What is a Pediatric Nurse?
Pediatric nurses provide a wide range of medical care for children. Pediatric nurses are registered nurses who have earned all the accreditation and certification required of registered nurses, such as a bachelor's of science degree in nursing and successful passing of the NCLEX exam, and then moved their careers into the pediatric specialty.
The Society of Pediatric Nurses, a national body comprised of nursing staff, school and outpatient nurses, clinical specialists, and others who work in pediatric medicine, says that many pediatric nurses begin their careers in childrens' medicine by working in an area of healthcare that specializes in pediatric medicine, such as a children's hospital. Many of these specialty care centers offer registered nurses either classroom or clinical training or a combination of both that emphasize the special needs of children. Pediatric nurses typically work with younger children but can have patients as old as 18 to 21 years old.
One of the main areas of knowledge required by pediatric nurses is growth and development, and the job requires that they adapt their knowledge to each patient's individual level of development. They also serve to communicate medical procedures and treatments to family members to help them fully understand clinical procedures. Pediatric nurses deal with a wide range of chronic and acute medical conditions, as well as surgical procedures.
Some of the duties of pediatric nurses include:
Pediatric nurses should have a deep love of children and of nursing. They also should have strong emotional fortitude--oftentimes pediatric nurses deal with terminally ill children, and the emotional burden placed on these nurses can be severe.
Pediatric Nurse Working Conditions
The Society of Pediatric Nurses says that nurses who have completed bachelor's of science degrees in nursing can pursue master's degrees to become pediatric nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists. Many pediatric nurses work in children's hospitals, where many efforts have been made to make children feel safe and comfortable during their stay. Other pediatric nurses work in physicians offices, or pediatric rehabilitation clinics. Pediatric nurses who work in hospitals work in general pediatric care, or in pediatric intensive care units and often have even more specialized knowledge of the needs of children than regular pediatric nurses or pediatric nurse practitioners.
Like many nursing professions, pediatric nurses can work long hours, including nights and weekends, and they may be away from their own families for long shifts.
Pediatric Nurse Salary Ranges
Salaries for pediatric nurses vary greatly depending on experience, education, and state of employment. The National Association of Pediatric Nurses 2009-2010 salary reports shows that there were 4,335 pediatric nurse practitioners employed during the two-year period.
Texas, New York, and California employed the most pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs). In Texas, there were 411 total PNPs, with 54 making between $95,001 and $100,000 annually. Eighty-eight PNPs made between $85,001 and $95,000, and additional 57 pediatric nurse practitioners earned between $80,001 and $85,000.
New York employed 325 pediatric nurse practitioners, with 49 making $95,001 to $100,000 annually. An additional 39 earned $90,001 to $95,000, and an additional 101 pediatric nurse practitioners earned between $75,001 to $90,000. In California, the majority of the state's nearly 300 pediatric nurse practitioners earned between $70,001 and $100,000 per year.
Nationally, the biggest body of pediatric nurse practitioners earned between $70,001 and $75,000, and the second-largest group earned between $75,001 and $80,000.
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